A case for cordless tools

[The Critic]

15 years ago I was 80/20 corded.

Now I'm 80/20 battery.

The boat shop ratio was the same even with unlimited air.

Same - pneumatic still rules from a power to size ratio. Most of my usage is cordless, but it is tough to beat the power of a small 1/2" or 3/8" pneumatic impact.

 

[blkwtr]

In this instance I had made a custom jig on the mill which got clamped to the side of each box. Both left and right sides received holes. Sometimes the same, sometimes different (multiple jigs).

The work flow was roughly:
1) clamp jig to appropriate side
2) grab drill #1. Drill a single hole
3) grab drill #2. Drill three holes
4) grab drill #3. Drill a single hole.
Eventually two different size c-sinks would be used to debur some holes, while the belt file handled larger ones

and so on.

Flip box to opposing side and repeat.

Plugging and unplugging cords every 5 seconds would be....amusing.

You could get yourself a couple of these and use one cord. That would eliminate keeping all those batteries charged.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I look at cordless as just another tool in the box to get the job done not as a replacement, sometimes they are and sometimes not depending on what you want to do with it.

This is actually the best answer.
Not to mention, he who dies with the most tools wins.

 

[TheLastWord]

My cordless tools save me time.

They’re better than the set of pneumatic tools that they replaced because there is no hose to clutter up the space, drag across body panels, or get stuck under a creeper wheel.

This is actually the best answer.
Not to mention, he who dies with the most tools wins.

Wins what?

Proverbs 13:7-8 – “He who dies with the most toys wins!”—Really?

Today’s proverbs (Proverbs 13:7-8) read like a pair of paradoxes—absurdities, until you take time to ponder what a wealthy king is teaching his son concerning wealth and possessions. Consider the first paradox: There are some who appear to have everything, but have nothing. Proverbs 13:7 –...

heartofashepherd.com

 

[92saturnsl2]

In this instance I had made a custom jig on the mill which got clamped to the side of each box. Both left and right sides received holes. Sometimes the same, sometimes different (multiple jigs).

The work flow was roughly:
1) clamp jig to appropriate side
2) grab drill #1. Drill a single hole
3) grab drill #2. Drill three holes
4) grab drill #3. Drill a single hole.
Eventually two different size c-sinks would be used to debur some holes, while the belt file handled larger ones

and so on.

Flip box to opposing side and repeat.

Plugging and unplugging cords every 5 seconds would be....amusing.

The only way I could see buying 12+ expensive cordless tools each fitted with different bits / functions to be cost effective was if you had dozens of these boxes where you are basically doing an assembly line fashion.

But then I question why one couldn't do #1 on the work flow across all boxes, then #2 across all boxes, then #3, etc.. That would seem logical unless the boxes are a great distance apart. But then you're carrying 12+ tools across the long distance to get to the next one, which depending on terrain/accessibility might necessitate multiple trips.

Doing each step individually across all boxes would eliminate the upfront cost of all the cordless tools (where you could perhaps pare it down to 3 or 4). It only takes a few seconds to switch out a bit on a drill. The initial purchase price is one thing, but often the batteries can be very costly if you're managing so many tools. Lithium ion batteries degrade quickly (much shorter lifespan) if kept at full charge. The best tactic for getting the most life out of them is to keep them between ~30-80% of charge. That could be quite cumbersome managing that many batteries- or costly if each drill is using only a small amount of battery per session, keeping the charge above 80% for long periods.

At the end of the day, a person is going to use what's best for them-- and if in a professional capacity, what maximizes productivity at the least cost (or some balance of the two). I work with a lot of different trades and I've yet to see any one person carry around 10+ cordless tools. But please take this all with a grain of salt-- just sharing my experience and not judging. I agree with you completely-- cordless tools can be a huge time saver compared to dragging cords around. But I still find uses for my electric / air tools where it's not a pain to run cords/hoses.

 

[JHZR2]

The only way I could see buying 12+ expensive cordless tools each fitted with different bits / functions to be cost effective was if you had dozens of these boxes where you are basically doing an assembly line fashion.

But then I question why one couldn't do #1 on the work flow across all boxes, then #2 across all boxes, then #3, etc.. That would seem logical unless the boxes are a great distance apart. But then you're carrying 12+ tools across the long distance to get to the next one, which depending on terrain/accessibility might necessitate multiple trips.

Doing each step individually across all boxes would eliminate the upfront cost of all the cordless tools (where you could perhaps pare it down to 3 or 4). It only takes a few seconds to switch out a bit on a drill. The initial purchase price is one thing, but often the batteries can be very costly if you're managing so many tools. Lithium ion batteries degrade quickly (much shorter lifespan) if kept at full charge. The best tactic for getting the most life out of them is to keep them between ~30-80% of charge. That could be quite cumbersome managing that many batteries- or costly if each drill is using only a small amount of battery per session, keeping the charge above 80% for long periods.

At the end of the day, a person is going to use what's best for them-- and if in a professional capacity, what maximizes productivity at the least cost (or some balance of the two). I work with a lot of different trades and I've yet to see any one person carry around 10+ cordless tools. But please take this all with a grain of salt-- just sharing my experience and not judging. I agree with you completely-- cordless tools can be a huge time saver compared to dragging cords around. But I still find uses for my electric / air tools where it's not a pain to run cords/hoses.

I’m of the same mind. I have corded and cordless. And multiple of each. If I were doing a job I’d probably look at what was going to be the most energy intensive functions, and if I had a corded tool to apply to those, I would. Then the other jobs get the cordless since the batteries will fare better. Of course there’s no hard fast rule. There is benefit to having multiple redundant tools sometimes, versus changing out bits. But there certainly is a cost benefit relationship there.

Changing cords on tools is also a pain, but I have a 12ga male to three female sockets connector so that’s a moot issue.